The philosopher John Rawls suggested that the only ethical society is one which we design before we know what position we will hold in it. If you don’t know whether you’ll be born the child of janitor or a billionaire, black or white, you may view social justice differently than when you know that your [...]

That guy on the left is one of the young people who provide the words for Barack Obama to read off his teleprompter. That’s Obama’s head speechwriter Jon Favreau groping Rachel Madnhow’s breast. John Favreau’s “friend” is pouring beer down Rachel’s throat while he pulls her head back by the hair. The other Obama speechwriters are Ben Rhodes, Adam Frankel, and Sarah Hurwitz. Are they the other people in the picture?

Rachel Madnhow (photoshop by Swanspirit)

UPDATE: This just in. Favreau and his pals have now given Campbell Brown something to complain about.

How about that, Campbell? Now you can talk to Barack about it yourself. You no longer have to wait for Hillary to do it for you.And what have we here? Nancy and Fav just having a little frat-boy fun!

Thank you for the credits :)
My pure pleasure , cause if little frat boy Favreau can play with cardboard cut outs , I can certainly play with photoshop :) this is under a Creative Commons license so anyone can feel free to pass it on, post it whereever etc etc , because I am grateful to be able to help.

You see, IMNSHO , Favreau and friends owe more than a weak apology to Hillary , they owe an apology to all women . Misogyny has got to stop being the accepted cultural norm .
If he can write those lame ass speeches for bo; he can certainly come up with something more for the women he has so cavalierly insulted .

Oooh! Oooh! Oprah and Brazile with o-man in the middle and kinda tall…. you guys are sooooo bad. What’s next, Obama’s little kids? They’re the one’s who will have the fallout from this Brave New Obot World.

But wait guys, I don’t think it’s okay to portray someone being victimized just because you don’t agree with them politically. I mean, that’s what these speechwriters are doing and it’s not okay. But I do think the “are you offended yet” one IS okay.

So what’s the difference? Under what circumstances is it okay to show a woman (or anyone else) being victimized?

Those little girls are exactly why we should be doing this. For that matter, ALL little girls. We need to be teaching them this isn’t excusable or allowable behavior. If men have that much darn testosterone, I suggest they seek medical help because the rest of us should not be subject to their perversion.

the mod bot got me
.. and the difference is , to me anyway , is using the victimisation to make the point and teach the lesson , because honestly sometimes unless the victimisation is generalised ; some people actually do not get the full impact . And the point here is that some people need to SEE other women they would never consider in these circumstances , so they can actually SEE how offensive it truly is .

(either man or woman) or someone you care about were sexually degraded by a colleague (again, either man or woman). It would probably feel humiliating. It *does* feel humiliating. And I certainly don’t want to make men out to be the sole perpetrators, or women the sole victims (women can be pigs, too!), but please consider that many women across the nation suffer from sexual harassment daily and often feel silenced because they are not in a position of authority, or do not know what to do. Just as it is important for men and women to have equal pay for equal work, so, too, is it important to have equal respect.

If Favreau remains a key figure in Obama’s administration (he is quite literally responsible for the words that come out of our esteemed president-elect’s mouth!), imagine the message this sends to people who perpetrate sexual harassment in the workplace and their victims.

I’m looking at that page, and it’s a group page. Favreau’s not even the moderator. There are some 200 members and it’s open to anyone.The photo was apparently not loaded by him. But someone sure did take his photo. Some firefighters here got into some very deep doodoo having a booze party at a firehouse and making a bunch of r@cist comments.

I took a couple of screen shots–something tells me that one might not stay up.

And read the comments! It sound like none of them would mind being in a picture like this!

As far as who goes into the picture next, where are Angie and myiq..and wwmyiq2xud? What about photoshopping Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama watching the action?

This link to Facebook is not a link to Favreau’s personal profile. This is a public profile. A lot of people in the public eye have one and they’re usually created by others. Frequently fans and admirers. This profile is one of those public ones created by someone else, and you can upload photos to it yourself.

By the way, I love these photoshopped pics! Oprah, Donna Brazile, Joy Behar, and MoDo definitely must be included!

OT: I got a $50 refund today from Hillary’s campaign because apparently I donated over the $2300 limit. And there you have Hillary and Obama in a nutshell – Hillary refunds me $50 back because it’s against the law to accept it. Obama keeps tens, if not hundreds, of millions that are against the law!

The main photo would be Favreau with BO, not a private setting at all they appear to be in an office and working. Probably some sort of official photo from the BO campaign organization. You have to scroll down for the other photos and the Hillary one is in plain view below the fold.

And oh lookie, if you right-click on the photo you can save it as a 454px × 331px jpg. Your own souvenir. What a treat.

bostonboomer> Not on Favreau’s private page. Only the owner of that page can do that. But there are public profiles (Hillary has one, Madonna has one, etc.). These are typically created by fans and admirers and they usually allow people to upload photographs. So if you took a picture of Hillary at a rally you can upload it to her public group/profile. The Favreau page that’s linked above looks like the public profile. The other photos were uploaded by some woman, not by Favreau himself. So other users might be able to upload photos as well.

Dear hearts and gentle photoshoppers
… while this is more fun that shopping for presents :) I need some sleep so I can get at this fresh in the morning :) Been lovely and fun :) more fun than I have had in a while when discussing this issue , and if this helps make a point to ONE person I feel gratified :) , even if I am still stunned at the crassness .

The flurry of posts on the absurd and adolescent sexism of the Obamaites in the past couple of days is astounding! I was away for a couple of days and so much has come to the fore. Revolting and unbelievable. We truly must rebel against this shocking frat boy stuff.

Sexism is tyranny, and the battle against it must be fought fiercely and won decisively if we are to really succeed in achieving the American dream. Otherwise, “with liberty and justice for all” is a meaningless pledge.

American women: we must rebel against the insulting “kings” in our lives! This stuff cannot stand!

Let’s turn our backs on the alleged future president who has spawned such base behavior!

The profile linked above was started by someone named Marcella Kornikova – obviously a fan. And she uploaded 3 of the nice pictures. Someone else uploaded the photo with Hillary’s cutout. (The interesting thing is that this uploader, Jay something, calls Hillary “The Hildabeast,” but he calls Favreau “MORON” and the other guy “Moron’s friend.” It seems like Jay doesn’t like anyone.) In any case, in theory anyone should be able to upload photos there, but I just tried and couldn’t find a way. It’s possible that feature was disabled by the moderator of the group (which would be Marcella Kornikova.) Or maybe I’m just not finding it…

I read the Campbell piece otherwise I wouldn’t know who she is. You guys should really use some links instead of just namedropping like that or assuming everybody knows what these guys look like. It would be educating people and would sound so insider.

I mean *wouldn’t sound insider* I like to think I know something about politics.

The McCaskill photo made me spit–imagining it photoshopped and all–and I don’t even know who she is. I guess the 30% solution is on the back burner for a while, huh, while the match gets closer to their toes.

i wrote to speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, demanding that she request favreau’s resignation as there is absolutely no excuse for this nor is there any place for this in government today. i encourage you to do so.

I just read the Campbell piece at CNN, everybody’s linking to it, –she deserves every bit of it.l And she has a bully pulpit she could have used herself to denounce what she thinks others should be denouncing–she is is the best position to speak out against the misogyny right now and where is her voice?

I just read the Campbell piece at CNN, everybody’s linking to it, –she deserves every bit of it.l And she has a bully pulpit she could have used herself to denounce what she thinks others should be denouncing–she is is the best position to speak out against the misogyny right now and where is her voice?

Nijma: who are you talking about?

You guys are too entertaining–it’s frickin 1:45 a.m., I have to go to bed.

BB: I hope you know my question was rhetorical. I may not post too often, but my sentiments have always been clear. I have been carrying on a one-woman argument on the WaPo site against a poster calling herself PhDiva–a black woman whose powers of logic are, shall we say, sorely lacking.

The boyz at the Alpha Gamma Obama frat party depicted in the photo would have a Hillary cutout for one purpose and one purpose only. It is for this reason I don’t accept the drunken boys-will-be-boys excuse.

Not that I’d accept such an excuse in any event…this cretin needs to be sacked, and NOW!

What is your problem? We posted them on our blog, which gets about 20,000 page views a day. Murphy posted one on her blog. If you want to sent the pictures to other places, please go right ahead. You can copy them and send them to anyone you want.

BB: Saw it. Good. I hope it goes crazy out there. This is unacceptable. It pisses me off and frankly makes me fear for HRC’s physical safety in proximity to these guys. I know she’s got the SS but these bastards have access and this is how they act with a mere cardboard cutout. I wonder how they plan to face her knowing she knows. I hope she “accidentally” drops coffee on someone’s lap. Maybe that would help that “boy” be a little less boyish.

BB: We’re cool. Sorry if I seemed overly sensitive. Sometimes it’s tough to be an outsider here. It’s one reason I post less often than I might otherwise do. Let’s just say I’d post more often if I didn’t feel the need to pull my punches.

I guess I am just tired as I just got home from work.
I was reading the comments and posts all I could think of was the democratic party put these low-lifes in a postion to represent the country.
They want to replace Senator Clinton who has worked her heart out for the people of this country with a light weight in Caroline Kennedy.
They inflicted us with a man who would not walk away from a church that preaches “God damn America” and whites are evil.
They have sat on their asses in congress and did nothing for the country just collected a salary.
They made me ashamed that I was a demcrat for 50 years.
It is almost like the democratic party today is an inside enemy of America.
They would hurt her before they would help her.

I guess I am just tired as I just got home from work.
I was reading the comments and posts all I could think of was the democratic party put these low-lifes in a postion to represent the country.
They want to replace Senator Clinton who has worked her heart out for the people of this country with a light weight in Caroline Kennedy.
They inflicted us with a man who would not walk away from a church that preaches “God damn America” and whites are evil.
They have sat on their asses in congress and did nothing for the country just collected a salary.
They made me ashamed that I was a democrat for 50 years.
It is almost like the democratic party today is an inside enemy of America.
They would hurt her before they would help her.

What I’m taking from this is that the Democratic Party is not safe. That Hillary will need to go the route of Bill and create something positive on her own. The “end of her political career” may not be the bad thing we think it is.

I’m not for giving up on politics entirely, but we are definitely going to have to create alternatives to the parties that exist.

Thank you bb and others for making the case against Favreau’s degrading behavior. Degrading to Clinton, women and himself.

What I’m taking from this is that the Democratic Party is not safe. That Hillary will need to go the route of Bill and create something positive on her own. The “end of her political career” may not be the bad thing we think it is.

The articles from yesterday have been the most beautiful pieces detailing the difference between sexual confidence and sexual exploitation I have ever read. Unfortunately, – and I know this from conversations with a family member – self-proclaimed feminists have confused exploitation with confidence. They think it is perfectly fine for a woman to be exploited as long as she exploits herself such as all the famous women who pose nude in sexualized ways just so that they can “feel like a woman.” No one is forcing them to do this; they have been raised in a society with a distorted belief about what womanhood means. They don’t realize the damage this is doing in our society to women as a group.

I loved SOD’s 2:05 find of an Obot blaming Clinton for hanging out at a party where beer was being consumed. They really are that stupid

“Why is Hilary Clinton at a frat party which is obviously overflowing with booze? Shouldn’t we call her judgement into question? Obviously the guy shouldn’t have put his hand there, but it takes two to tango.”

IMHO, the reason this pic has gone viral and is so powerful is because it is a perfect snapshot of what HRC went through during the primaries.

In this case that old saying a picture is worth a thousand words is spot on.

What makes it even more troubling is the fact BO’s main spokesman, the person who writes what BO thinks, his primary counsel, is the one doing the groping.

Favreau’s molesting a cardboard HRC cut-out mirrors the psychological battering she endured during the elections.

And just as BO gave his implicit approval of Favreau and all his idiot frat-boy advisors during the elections, his silence now sends the message that woman-bashing is fair game in his administration. :twisted:

basil, well said. This photo symbolizes what we saw, felt raged against and are motivated by even now. It seems that the treatment of Clinton and Palin in this election are kicking off the Fourth Wave of feminism.

I don’t know if any one suggested it or not, but how about putting Obama in the same pose with some mean looking men. and make it real nasty and circulate it.
Since we now know the quality of the person who wrote Obama’s speeches may be a suggestion will be to go back and READ them without the benefit of the tall hansome man with good voice. I bet it will sound as hollow as the writer’s character. For some reason I was never impressed with the speeches even when he said some I normally agree with, may be because it sounded like cut and paste job, now I know who wrote them I am sure that what it was.

Is Clinton’s star power an asset or a liability? Not even Colin Powell among recent secretaries can match Clinton’s celebrity. That wattage, notes one former adviser to Bill Clinton, means that Obama can signal “very high-impact U.S. engagement” by sending her to trouble spots, rather than only by visiting himself. Clinton’s international fame also ensures that she’ll wield a huge megaphone in the global war of ideas.
The downside will be if Clinton’s star power encourages her to see herself as an independent power center, a debilitating delusion in this job. “She’s potentially a groundbreaking secretary at a time when we need one,” Miller says. “Alternately, she’s the star role in a soap opera. You can call it ‘As the World Turns.’ That would not have a happy ending.”

A poster upthread (I think) said today’s 20-something women don’t have a clue about the horrible significance of what was done to HRC and Palin and they’ll have to experience woman-bashing themselves before they ‘get it.’

Right now they’re operating under the assumption it’s not them targeted by sexism nor do they yet recognize the misogyny. Either they’ve been so brainwashed by the fluffization of women as anchorettes, sit-com bimbos and rap-song ‘hos’ or they’re so confident they’re beyond ‘all that’ they have simply ignored what is so obvious to those of us who HAVE been there, done that, and are all too aware of the continuing prevalence of women-hating as a US policy.

Sickening, isn’t it?

BTW, ownaa,
I mentioned this above.

‘What i want to see is a pic of BO with Favreau’s hand a bit lower, let’s say in the groin area.’

downticket,
Agreed. I HATE the sound of BO’s voice. He’s just a typical below par pulpit-preacher without the resonance or eloquence of many ‘hood’ reverends.

They still won’t get it with any of these picture, because they’re all still women, and as we know from this year, you can do whatever you want to a woman and it will not register as immoral in a misogynist. What you want to do is replace those females with pictures of Obama himself, or Joe Biden, or the Rahminator. Homophobia they get; misogyny they do not.

I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to photo shop that breast-cupping arm down low, if you know what I mean…

Back in the day, the moment you , as a woman, really understood the misogyny was called ” the click” .
When some event , and it could be seeminly minor, causes your brain to “click” and you got it. These young women, some still need the click….but a good number had it during the primary when they saw the hate on thier boyfriend’s or brother’s faces….the click is the realization it’s meant for all women who “step out of line” , not just the supposed target ….and it inculdes you. If we could “get” such things before we realize it’s ment for us too….it would be nice . But as with most things, it’s not until it bites your own ass that you get it .

just checked his facebook … it’s still out there, it is on his profile and Jay Seibert posted it and Hillary is tagged as the Hildebeast … Jon’s tagged as “the moron” kissy guy on the right is just tagged “the moron’s friend”

Also, does anyone know how to contact that woman in the pic and get details about when the party was, how the Hillary pic ended up there, and what the other people in the room were saying/doing? Obviously there was someone eagerly taking pictures, but this calls for some investigative journalism, and since the msm is dead —

The woman in the picture is probably Sarah Hurwitz. She actually looks sort of disgusted. She was Hillary’s top speechwriter during the primaries. To me this doesn’t look like a “party” at all. I think it’s just the speechwriters in a room. They don’t look drunk to me either, but who know. The fact is someone took this photo and Favreau posed for it. He needs to be fired and so does the guy on the right.

The obots say: “It’s just a joke.” Really? People who find sexual harassment or assault “funny” are not well. Further, these idjits would have never behaved that way with an image of Michelle Obama, drunk or not. And even further, Favreau (or “Favs” as he says he is called) would have been fired by now if it had been Michelle’s picture.

The obots say: “But they were drunk.” Really? Was “Favs” drunk when he posted the photo on his Facebook page? Did he remain drunk the entire time the photo was posted? Further, I have found that people are their true selves when they’re drunk. Mean drunks are mean people underneath all the civility and anger suppression. And sexist drunks are sexists at heart. Obama and his circle of friends have always been obvious misogynists to my eyes. Unfortunately it takes them getting drunk, and behaving naturally, for it to become apparent to a wider audience.

Sorry to be sort of OT, but I feel that the issue of sexual exploitation is alive and well in our culture. There was some interesting dialogue yesterday about the difference between “art” and sexual exploitation.

Firstly, there is no doubt whatsoever in my mind, that Mily Cyrus is being “groomed” for what’s to come. However, I can see calling the photo shoot art – but Mily is too young for this IMO.

Recently, a 3 year clinical study was done with 2000 teenagers both boys and girls re the viewing habits with overt sexual dialogue and risque sexual situations; the results were published in the Medical Journal of Pediatrics. (I think sometimes we forget that our teens are still children!) The results showed that teen pregnancy was TWICE as common in the kids who watched the more sexual shows.

Lead author of the study, behavorial scientist Anita Chandra says that t.v. shows that portray sexual activity as an endless romp of fun with zero real-world consequences (as we all know they do not) often prompt teens to become sexually active “before they’re ready to make responsible and informed decisions.”

According to Dr. W.C. Douglass, whom posted the results of this study, our culture has become blase about sex and accepting of casual sex. It is the norm and it is reflected in our T.V. shows. He asserts that one can take a “study” with a grain of salt, but we need to only look around at our culture to see what has become of our morals. Our teens and young children are extremely influenced by it and we cannot always be at their side of every single moment of the day – especially when they become teens and hit that glorious time of puberty!!!

The Nat’l. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy agrees that “media helps shape the social script for teenagers.” This (the study) is just good research to confirm that.”

Our music, our magazines, T.V., movies and above all the Internet, have changed things drastically. We can call some of it “art” – but we have museums and art galleries to view the beautiful form of the female human body. The art through our media basically is sexual exploitation. To me, this is why much our youth do not see the “sexism and mysogeny” going on right now in the political arena.

I’ve always found it interesting that there is sort of a hierarchy of acceptance of images of the human body. Painting and sculpture are almost always considered art; photography, depending on whether it’s considered “tasteful,” is sometimes considered art; and film/moving pictures are almost always considered as somehow shameful, dirty, and pornographic. This may be why we have no problem taking our children to an art museum but not to an R-rated movie.

To me, the difference between art and porn depends upon how the nudity is portrayed. The naked body can be beautiful and appreciated without being sexualized. That is how I view paintings of Aphrodite or the sculputre of David. The problem is our society is our society interprets nudity in wholly sexual terms so that when there is nudity, it is always in context of sex.

Karen–have you ever seen the painting by Edouard Manet called “Luncheon on the Grass”? It depicts a nude woman seated on the ground between two fully clothed men. When it was first displayed in 1860’s Paris, it was considered positively scandalous. Nowadays, Manet is viewed as the father of modern painting and “Luncheon on the Grass” is a masterpiece.

Take a look at it and see if you think the context is sexual and the woman is being exploited.

I haven’t seen or heard of that one before, but from what you’ve described, I do call it exploitation. I can’t look it up right now ’cause the computer is in the lviing room, and my parents are watching television. There are a lot of things I watch and listen to that I don’t want my parents to watch or hear.

I find the nudity in British movies and tv shows much less exploitive than the American version. (Noting that page 3 girls are whole ‘nother story.) In Britain everyone takes their clothes off, male and female, young and old. In America only the young women do which, IMO, proves that it’s directed at one segment of the population for the sole purpose of titillation. If nudity actually has something to do with the plot line and adds to the story then fine, but 999 times out of 1,000 it’s completely unnecessary.

Someone elsewhere thinks the Michelle Obama version was taken down. If so, this hypocritical sister says put it back up!

I gather Riverdaughter has been shamed by her hypercritical sisters into taking down the pictures with MO instead of Hillary. This is how we stand in a circle and shoot ourselves.
Posted by: Greenconsciousness | December 09, 2008 at 06:24 AM

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